


Enough

by pidgeonpostal



Category: RWBY
Genre: Body Image, Body hair but it's feathers, Hair-pulling, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mentions of alcoholism, Mirror Sex, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, continuous consent!, sex but make it healing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:47:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29449542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pidgeonpostal/pseuds/pidgeonpostal
Summary: Qrow isn’t a faunus. But he isn’tnota faunus, and every night he plucks his feathers to look human. Until he stops. And then, someone notices.[Just felt like putting some very specific body acceptance out into the world, and then it also became porn because I wanted a very specific mirror scene.]
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 49





	Enough

**Author's Note:**

> For this one, I was thinking that Qrow isn't technically a faunus, but getting the crow form gave him faunus traits, namely, feathers.

The new outfit left his elbows exposed. It looked nice. Everyone had agreed. New look, new Qrow.

He winced as he plucked the last of the feathers from his newly exposed skin. Just a bit more work than before, that’s all. He ran his fingers through his hair one last time. All clean.

There was a garbage can in the bathroom. Qrow walked over to drop the feathers in and stopped mid-step.

Looking at the mirror was his first mistake. The man there looked  _ tired, _ but more than that, he just looked  _ off. _ Something was wrong. It wasn’t who it should have been.

Qrow blinked. The human in the mirror blinked back.

The word  _ no _ coursed through his system so fast his back collided with the wall. His hands shook as he tore his eyes away and tossed the feathers. It hadn’t been that bad since, since he—

Since before he started drinking. Oh.

Deep breaths. Qrow turned the lights off and moved back into the main room, where the human couldn’t follow him. There were no mirrors here. He didn’t  _ want _ mirrors, and that was all it took, a spike of emotion and aura and he heard a loud crack and a shattering of glass from the bathroom. Done. No more mirrors.

He wouldn’t have to look at that human again.

* * *

The thing was, Blake was  _ happy. _

He knew she’d hidden at first, too. It was easy to pass when a bow could cover a second pair of ears, he supposed. But just because it was easy to hide didn’t mean it was easy to stay hidden. He knew that from experience. He rubbed his elbows.

He was  _ proud _ of Blake, for being herself, he realized. At least someone could. And if he—if he changed his routine  _ now, _ and she found out, what was he supposed to say? Oh yeah, full support for you kid, just don’t ask me to do any of that shit myself for a few years.

It was a good thing he wasn’t some kind of role model or anything.

But withdrawal  _ hurt. _ It hurt so much, every day. And every feather was just another reminder.  _ Another thing you’ll have to fight. Every day. _

He was so tired.

He was so  _ tired. _

He took a day off. Then another. He sat in his room and stared at the walls and slept and watched the feathers grow back and pulled, but didn’t pluck. Why should he? Why should he  _ bother— _

There was a knock on the door.

“Uncle Qrow? You okay?”

He groaned and walked to the door without opening it. “I’m fine, kiddo. Just…taking a break.”

“Can I come in?”

No. No, no one could—why not? What did it matter? This was  _ Ruby, _ she should know. No more secrets.

“Yeah.” He unlocked the door.

His niece looked up at him, then down at his arms. He tried to shove them in his pockets as far down as they would go. “It’s nothing, it’s—”

“I know, Uncle Qrow. It’s okay.”

He froze.

“You were…out for a while, in Haven, while you were healing. They grew back then too, remember? Don’t worry, it was just Yang and I who saw. We didn’t let anyone else in until you’d had a chance to…I figured you wanted some privacy.”

His throat had closed up. “Thanks,” he managed to push out.

“You know, it would be okay if you…didn’t? You’d still have us. All of us. You know that, right?”

He did. He  _ did. _ “I know, it’s just…” Just what? He didn’t know anymore. He’d hated them when they’d first started. But he hadn’t felt that hate in a long time. He kept plucking them because he always had. It had just become something he  _ did. _

Ruby smushed herself into his side in a hug. “Whatever you want to do, okay?”

Qrow blinked and tears rolled down his face. “Yeah. Thanks. Pipsqueak.” He pushed a smile on his face and messed up her hair.

“Ugh, stop it!” But Ruby was laughing.

Qrow smirked. “Never.”

* * *

The next week, he showed up to briefing with feathers in his hair.

Ruby and Yang greeted him obnoxiously loudly in the silence. He tried not to look directly at anyone and sat down, sipping his coffee as Clover went over the tasks for the day.

When they started to file out, he chanced a look at Blake. She looked back at him and smiled. He felt an answering smile on his own face.

He didn’t get any questions about it, though he suspected that was because of Yang and Ruby. He saw them having quiet conversations that stilled when he got within earshot. They had these secret meetings with other kids and even with the Ace Ops. Clover looked absolutely cowed during their conversation, even though he towered over both of them. Qrow felt a vague irritation about their meddling, but there was a burst of pride in his chest knowing that they gave no fucks about rank and would lay down the law against absolutely anyone in Atlas. If James didn’t already know, he’d suspect them of having a talk with him, too.

Weeks passed. He grew to like the feel of the wind in his feathers. He requisitioned a new mirror. His hair stuck up a bit taller, with the feathers providing a bit more structure. The feathers on his arms looked nice, he decided. Like freckles, or scars. Normal.

* * *

Clover wouldn’t stop looking at them.

It wasn’t as if people didn’t look. People always looked. Qrow just decided he didn’t care. He didn’t. Really.

Except Clover wouldn’t stop looking at them.

They were partners on all their missions, and spent a lot of time together. It was a new thing for Qrow, having someone so close all the time. And Clover’s fighting style was one of support. To effectively work with him, Qrow had to be ready for things to go  _ well, _ and it so went against everything he had done before that it had taken some getting used to. He’d learned to keep half an eye on where Clover was at all times. It worked. It also meant that he saw when Clover watched him.

He hadn’t figured out what it meant yet. It wasn’t disgusted, at least. It wasn’t curious, either, which would have been his second guess. But it was intense, and whenever he caught Clover’s eye he would look away.

And then Clover asked if he wanted to  _ get coffee, _ and it clicked.  _ Lustful. _ Well. Clover was good-looking enough, and it had been a while. Why not.

“Other way,” he mumbled in the aftermath, when Clover tried to tentatively stroke the feathers that grew more thickly on his shoulders. Clover obliged, and Qrow hummed happily. It was a damn shame this was all it was. He left that night, and prepared for an awkward morning briefing.

But it wasn’t. It was oddly normal. Except Clover’s looks changed again. Softer, warmer looks. And touches. Light things, on his shoulder, his back as they walked, holding hands,  _ holding hands wait what— _

In his defense…Qrow didn’t really have a defense. He just really didn’t think  _ dating Clover _ was going to be on the table. But now that it was he found he wanted it. Dearly.

“You thought we weren’t dating?” Clover asked when he said as much, their hands entwined as they walked back to Clover’s room for what up until a minute ago Qrow had assumed was going to be another round of fantastic sex between coworkers who just needed to let off a little steam, one of whom possibly had some fascination with avian faunus features.

Qrow shrugged. “It’s happened before. Figured you just liked the…” he waved at his arms.

“I do. But, not only them.” Clover’s expression was conflicted. “You didn’t seem like you were in a good place to date, before. Then you let them grow out, and you looked a lot happier, and we started spending more time together. I know I didn’t explicitly ask but…it seemed to be going well. Qrow, if we did  _ anything _ you didn’t want to—”

Oh, absolutely not. “I did want to. And I want to again. Now.”

Clover, the luckiest man in Atlas, tripped on nothing. He recovered quickly and started walking faster, pulling a smirking Qrow along gently to his room.

The moment the door closed behind them Qrow was on him, pressing Clover up against the door and kissing him within an inch of his life. Clover’s hands came up and the pads of his fingers pressed gently at the nape of Qrow’s neck. He pushed up gently towards the crown of his head, against the direction the feathers grew, just like Qrow had told him. “Okay?” Clover asked.

No one had done that before. No one had had the opportunity, but he suspected few would have bothered to remember. “Very,” Qrow answered, and went back to kissing him.

Clover pressed up into his hair firmly but not roughly, gentle massaging motions that felt absolutely incredible against his head. He moaned into the kiss until he had to break away for air. Then he had an idea. “Keep your hands there,” he ordered, and worked Clover’s pants open.

Clover gasped as soon as Qrow got his mouth around his cock. His fingers curled deliciously in Qrow’s hair. “Qrow,  _ ah—” _

Whatever he couldn’t fit in his mouth Qrow wrapped a hand around and started stroking slowly, trying to drag out the moments with Clover shaking under his tongue. He wanted to savor this. Clover was making soft little moans and his hands had stopped stroking Qrow’s hair and just held tight. His hips made aborted little twitches, like he was trying not to fuck Qrow’s mouth. How  _ polite. _

He kept up his languid pace until Clover’s body shook with the effort of staying still. “Qrow, can I—”

Qrow hummed agreeably around his cock, and reached one hand up to cover Clover’s against his head and one hand around to grab Clover’s ass and  _ pushed _ against both of them, demanding more, demanding Clover  _ take— _

Clover’s grip tightened to just this side of painful and Qrow couldn’t help but moan.  _ “Fuck,” _ Clover hissed, and thrust into Qrow’s mouth.

It didn’t take long for his thrusts to lose rhythm. Clover shouted as he came, his arms locking Qrow’s head in place and Qrow loved it, wanted to hear him come again and again, and he  _ could _ now, because Clover wasn’t just here for the novelty of a one night stand or two. Clover was here for  _ him,  _ and Qrow intended to give him everything Qrow wanted to give. Starting with blowjobs. Lots of blowjobs. With Clover’s hands in his feathers, every time.

Qrow got up to wash out his mouth and winced as his knees protested. Worth it. But next time, maybe he’d get Clover on a bed first.

He was bent over the sink in Clover’s bathroom when a strong pair of arms circled his waist and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Can’t let you do all the work,” Clover hummed, nuzzling between his shoulder blades as soon as they were free. Clover had taken off his shirt at some point as well, Qrow could feel Clover’s bare shoulders brush up against his. One hand reached up over Qrow’s chest while the other slid down over his hip bone to gently push at his pants.

“Couldn’t even wait for me to get back? Maybe to the bed?” Qrow rolled his eyes affectionately.

_ “You _ didn’t,” Clover pointed out between kisses.

No, Qrow had not. Frankly, he thought he should be applauded for not pulling Clover into a nearby storage closet long before they got to a room. But he wasn’t going to get that applause, because Clover’s hands were busy. He raised an eyebrow and tried to turn to look at Clover as Clover slid his right elbow over Qrow’s shoulder, reaching up to—oh, to tangle his hand in Qrow’s hair  _ and _ keep Clover’s body flush against his, the heat of Clover’s skin on his and Clover’s fingers in his feathers and Clover’s left hand sliding low over his hip and thigh—

“Okay?” Clover asked, looking up over Qrow’s left shoulder into the bathroom mirror, murmuring into the skin of Qrow’s neck. Qrow looked too.

After all of Clover’s attention the feathers in Qrow’s hair were obvious, sticking up and out at odd angles. The feathers on his shoulders and arms were also pushed upright. Had they grown? No, it was just the way they were pushed up, more visible because they were separated, glossy black and catching the light like they were decorative, like they were—

Beautiful.

“Yeah,” Qrow croaked.

Clover tangled one hand in Qrow’s hair and sucked marks into his neck and got his other hand around Qrow’s cock until Qrow’s legs trembled with the effort of keeping him upright but it was fine, Clover was supporting most of his weight anyway with the arms wrapped around him, with his body against Qrow’s, warm and solid and  _ present _ in a way Qrow hadn’t had with a partner in years.

He chanced another look in the mirror, at the image of himself, utterly wrecked and panting, and then Clover’s eyes met his and there was something there, lust but also something softer, and that was all it took. Qrow came with a shout of surprise, and he felt an answering hum from deep in Clover’s chest as he sagged back against it.

Clover somehow managed to pass him something towel-like without breaking contact, and then when Qrow was done manhandled them both to the bed, flopping down onto the covers with enough force to bounce.

“Stay tonight?” Clover hummed into his skin. One hand came up to brush the feathers along Qrow’s arms again, from where they had recently grown back in on his forearms back up to the older ones on his shoulders.

Qrow took Clover’s hand in his and rubbed small circles into his palm. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Psst however you decide to maintain your body you are beautiful and worthy of love in whatever way you desire, and remember to drink water!
> 
> Also I read somewhere that birds like to be pet against the direction their feathers grow, which is why that's such a big point here.
> 
> Update: Ahaha I forgot I called a different fic “Haven’t Had Enough” bahaha the two fics are completely unrelated I just have only one brain cell for naming fics
> 
> I'm still [PidgeonPostal](https://www.pidgeonpostal.tumblr.com) on Tumblr, come say hi if you like!


End file.
